Linux Development Grant Fund

Linux International has announced the formation of the Linux Development Grant Fund, an international fund designed to both promote development for Linux by awarding grants to Linux developers and to give Linux users a way to support Linux development in an organized and efficient fashion. Everybody wins as Linux International creates a grant fund to both promote development and to offer users a w

Linux International has announced the
formation of the Linux Development Grant Fund, an international
fund designed to both promote development for Linux by awarding
grants to Linux developers and to give Linux users a way to support
Linux development in an organized and efficient fashion.

Everybody wins as Linux International creates a grant fund to
both promote development and to offer Linux users a way to support
that development.

by Linux Journal Staff

Linux International is a worldwide, non-profit organization
devoted to promoting Linux development and growth in the
international marketplace. The organization has branches in several
countries on most continents and, because of this structure, it is
able to efficiently collect donations and distribute monies to
individual developers with less overhead than if the money came
from individual personal contributions. All 100 percent of the
monies donated to the fund will be given out in the form of grants;
Linux International will not retain any portion of the funds for
administrative expenses.

By collecting the funds and then converting many donations at
once, a smaller portion of the funds will be lost to currency
conversion fees than if the donations were made separately to
developers. This is especially important for smaller donations
given from one person to someone else with a different local
currency; currency conversion carries a fixed rate of about $7 to
$15 (sometimes higher), and it can be difficult to do without a
cooperative bank.

How will developers be selected to receive grants? Anyone
developing free software for Linux with a specific need for funds
to further development (for instance, to purchase hardware or
documentation) may submit a request. Developers and potential
developers can receive information on submitting grant proposals by
sending e-mail to grant-submissions-info@li.org. If you do not have
e-mail access, send paper mail or a fax to Linux International at
the address below.

Who decides who will receive a grant? The Grant Fund is
controlled by a board of three members appointed in a more-or-less
democratic manner. The board members will each serve one-year
terms. The first board members are well-known in the Linux
community: Matt Welsh, Ian Murdock, and Michael K. Johnson.

All of the grants awarded will be announced in the
comp.os.linux.announce newsgroup. Additionally, a list of all the
donors, except for those who choose to remain anonymous, will be
published periodically. (A single check-mark on the donation form
is sufficient for donors who choose to remain anonymous.)

Donations may be made by credit card, international money
order or check and may be sent by paper mail, e-mail or fax. If you
wish to send your credit card number via e-mail, you will probably
wish to encrypt it with PGP to avoid fraud. Linux International's
PGP public key is available by fingering donations@li.org.

Donations to the Grant Fund can be made in almost any
currency. However, to avoid excess currency conversion costs, US
dollars, Deutsch marks, Pounds Sterling, or Australian dollars are
preferred. However, do not send cash through the mail—it is not
likely to arrive.

A form for donating may be
requested by sending e-mail to donations-info@li.org; one will be
sent to you by return mail.

Because of very complex national laws determining charitable
organizations, donations to the Grant Fund are not tax exempt at
this time. However, businesses may count donations as business
expenses in many countries; consult your local tax experts for
details.

If you have any comments or questions about the fund, you may
send them to donation-comments@li.org.

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